Opening Night: Ben Eine’s “Innocence” at Corey Helford Gallery

Upon meeting Ben Eine, it becomes instantly apparent that the criminality of graffiti is a preoccupation of the artist’s: The world “guilty” is emblazoned in a prominent tattoo on his neck while the mantra “die rich” is not too far off, on his knuckles. Eine began his art practice as a teenage vandal whose work went from covering London walls and tunnels to appearing on Luis Vuitton scarves and even in President Obama’s personal art collection. His current solo show at Corey Helford Gallery’s project space, CHG Circa, “Innocence,” is a tribute to the illegal art form at the core of Eine’s practice.

For the exhibition, Eine transformed CHG Circa into a replica of a Victorian train tunnel and invited local taggers to have at the faux brick walls. Accompanied by a spooky, ambient music soundtrack, the gallery lights were periodically switched off at the opening reception to show the glow-in-the-dark effects of many of the paintings. “Innocence” is on view through July 27. Take a look at some exclusive opening reception photos and shots of the installation by Sam Graham and Nastia Voynovskaya below.